Detecting when you need to system rescue

Non-File Data

Another problem I see more and more often is that less and less data is actually stored on traditional filesystems. Databases and NoSQL systems, such as MongoDB and Hadoop, are increasingly used to store data objects, and there's no easy way to apply tools like Open Source Tripwire or AIDE to them. Monitoring such systems for changes and integrity will require software that is not available yet. (Weirdly, I can't find anyone working on this, so let me know if you are!)

Conclusion

Even having a noisy system that you mostly ignore is better than having no detection at all. If a break-in or accident occurs, at least you'll be able to get some idea of the scope of it, and, if you're lucky, you'll be able to determine the actual damage and see how the breach occurred. Of course, these monitoring tools also need to be paired with a good data backup strategy so that you have something with which to restore your system.

Another benefit of tools like Open Source Tripwire and AIDE is that they can pinpoint exactly which files need to be restored (e.g., if files have the same hash value that they had last week, you don't need to worry) and thereby significantly reduce restore times.

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The simple but effective Tripwire HIDS provides its service quietly and discreetly, preventing attackers from infecting computers with trojans, backdoors, or modified files by identifying anomalies unnoticed by the user.